wmotorsfandomcom-20200214-history
W Motors
W Motors is a Dubai-based car company, established originally in Beirut, Lebanon in 2012 by Ralph R. Debbas. W Motors is the first Lebanese manufacturer of sports cars , and is the first Middle-East-based manufacturer of luxury sports cars, or supercars . They are most well-known for their first model, the Lykan HyperSport. History Developement and Founding Development of the W Motors brand took seven years. European auto manufacturers Carrozzeria Viotti, Magna Steyr, RUF Automobile and StudioTorino were involved in the developement of W Motors. Initial investment topped US$13million, some of which came from FFA Private Bank of Lebanon, who became a stakeholder in the company. W Motors was founded in Lebanon in May 2012 . Launch of the Lykan HyperSport W Motors launched its first prototype model, the Lykan HyperSport at the Qatar International Motor Show in January 2013 . Shortly thereafter, the company moved its headquarters to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates . Also in 2013, Universal Studios ordered twelve Lykan HyperSport stunt cars to appear in the film Furious 7; it is the most expensive car ever featured in the Fast and the Furious films , though the vehicles seen on screen do not have the carbon fiber chassis, diamond accents or other super-luxury touches that production models of the Lykan HyperSport do. The Lykan HyperSport's first pre-production model debuted at the Dubai International Motor Show on 5 October 2013. Other venues where the Lykan HyperSport was displayed include the Dubai International Boat Show in the United Arab Emirates; the Historical, Vintage, and Classical Cars Museum (Lykan HyperSport is mentioned on page 4 of the article) in Kuwait; and Cohen&Cunil in Marbella, Spain. The road-ready model of Lykan HyperSport premiered at Top Marques Monaco in April 2014. The Lykan HyperSport officially went on sale in December 2014. Officially limited to 7 units, the HyperSport is priced at US$3.4 million and is manufactured in Torino, Italy. Founder Debbas announced in April 2015 that W Motors would be opening an automotive design academy, W Design School, in 2017. Also in April 2015, Furious 7 debuted, featuring the Lykan HyperSport. Present W Motors has a three-person automotive design team as of 2012, all graduates of the transportation design degree program at Coventry University . It operates several facilities in Europe, with its main production facility in Torino, Italy, and has collaborated with international partners and suppliers from the automotive industry, including Magna Steyr, StudioTorino, RUF Automobile, Novasis Ingegneria, ID4Motion , and the University of Tokyo in the technical field, and Franck Muller Watches and Quintessentially Lifestyle Concierge Services in the luxury field. Fenyr SuperSport and future The company's second model, the Fenyr SuperSport, debuted in November 2015, which will be released in its road-legal version in later 2017. Two unnamed SUV models, which will be built in the UAE and have a price range of US$200,000–300,000, where set to debut in April 2016, at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition. A sedan, whose model name has also not yet been announced, was scheduled to debut in 2015 or 2016; it will have a US$200,000 retail price. W Motors planned to relocate its factories and manufacturing facilities to the port city of Jebel Ali in the UAE sometime in 2016. , however, it will likely occur in later 2017 or early 2018 as the Fenyr SuperSport goes on sale. The plant was expected to make over 200 cars per year by 2017, which again will likely be moved back to 2018, once production of the sedan and SUV lines will have begun. It will be the first automotive manufacturing facility in the region with on-site R&D, including a test track. References Category:W Motors